A Vignette of Life The train had arrived at long last.

We all made a bee-line for the entrance so as not to let the soles of our feet carry our weight on the five hour trip from Jamshedpur to Kolkata. Being an early entrant, I managed a seat with a lady who could afford one. There was something more of value she would offer on the trip, but I was unaware of the fact then. Indeed, if the incident were to be judged by the show of my gratefulness, it would hardly merit a write-up. Thankfully, this is not the way my conscience lets me judge it. To begin with, it was a pretty uneventful trip and similar to my previous ones. True to my reticent nature, I took out a novel from my journey bag and got engrossed in the unraveling plot. The beauties that nature offered, out of the window, were left to bask in their own glory with nary a wink from me. The novel had taken me nearly to Kharagpur, a midway station on the journey, when the incident occurred. I was approached by a young wench for some monetary assistance. True to my belief, I refused to help. I was harbouring the notion that begging was a crime and I should not help propagate it. However, the beggar refused to leave my side. Perhaps the person had fallen on really bad days, for the want she expressed was really a class apart! Starting with the ritualistic pattern of simply asking for money in an imploring voice she began to shake and pull me out of my comfort zone. She even scratched my hand in the process. In all probability she must have espied a true enemy of her profession for she went to extents which I had not previously encountered. However, the stubborn streak in me refused to be cowed down under her fearsome aggressiveness. I simply reiterated my negative head shake with the high pitched remark that I just wouldnt give. I even made a show of going on with my book. Even fellow passengers lent a hand by, at first, shouting at her to go on ahead and then physically trying to dislodge her. All efforts were to no avail. I was getting increasingly distressed with her errant behaviour. I do not know to what extent she would have ultimately gone. Possibly she might have snatched at one of my luggage and made a dash for the platform upon stopping in Kharagpur. However, the terribly charged situation, full of various possibilities, was brilliantly defused just when it seemed to be getting out of hand. And it was done by the same lady who had earlier offered me a seat. Perceiving the stressful situation, she simply offered the girl a full loaf of bread and politely asked her to leave. But for her kindly intervention, Im sure Id have had to stoop to depths not ventured earlier. I had reason to thank the lady a lot that day. Im sorry to disappoint you readers, though, that nothing of the sort transpired. In fact I was somewhat peeved that the girl got something out of the entire episode. I even went to the extent of telling the lady that nothing at all should have been given to the girl. The lady quietly nodded at me in understanding. This left me pretty discomfited over my conduct that day. Now, I feel it would have been much better for me to get acquainted with the lady. What a person indeed she was!